Mikel Arteta has refused to blame Arsenal’s mentality after their shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Fleetwood Town, insisting his players showed the required commitment despite failing to turn their dominance into victory.
The Gunners suffered a painful defeat on penalties against the League Two side, bringing their cup campaign to an unexpected end and leaving Arteta disappointed with the result rather than his team’s attitude.
Arsenal enjoyed significant spells of possession and created numerous opportunities, but their failure to establish a decisive advantage ultimately proved costly. With neither side settling the contest in normal time, the tie went to a penalty shootout, where Fleetwood secured progression.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Arteta congratulated Fleetwood while admitting that the result was a difficult one for Arsenal to accept.
“First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood for going through to the next round in the manner they’ve done it.
“A really sad day for us. I cannot fault at all the attitude of the players, I haven’t seen anybody not doing what is required at this level but we had so much of the ball, had so many chances, so many shots and if you want the margins to be bigger than going to penalties, you have to capitalise on that. We didn’t and football is about that.
“It wasn’t to do with attitude otherwise I would be here fuming. I’m sad, we’re all sad.
“We have a responsibility to represent this badge in the best possible way. It was nothing to do with effort, application or determination to go and win it, but we lacked other things to create much bigger margins.
“With what we produced, it should have showed in the scoreline.”
Arteta’s comments underline his frustration with Arsenal’s inability to make their attacking superiority count. The manager believes the performance contained enough chances to produce a more comfortable result, but his side failed to deliver the clinical finishing needed to avoid a nervy finish.
Rather than question his players’ work rate or determination, the Spaniard pointed to the finer details that separated Arsenal from a place in the next round. Possession and shot volume counted for little once the opportunity to build a commanding lead had passed.
The defeat will sting for Arsenal, particularly given the difference in league status between the two clubs. Fleetwood’s achievement represents a memorable cup result, while Arsenal must reflect on a night when their attacking output failed to translate into the scoreline Arteta expected.
For the Gunners boss, however, the message was clear: the players’ attitude was not the problem. Arsenal had the ball, created chances and showed a willingness to compete, but they did not take enough of their opportunities to settle the tie before penalties.
That failure proved decisive, leaving Arteta to accept a painful cup exit while defending the commitment of his squad.
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